


Not Waving

by VinHampton



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Depression, Drowning, London, Loneliness, Original Character(s), POV Female Character, POV Original Character, POV Second Person, Sad, Water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 05:46:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1733276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VinHampton/pseuds/VinHampton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How to live with water in your lungs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Waving

There is always water; the water is everywhere. An inch of it in your lungs, drowning you slowly. An inch of it at your feet, filling each room of your home. Sometimes, it rises like the tide, and it is cold and quick and comes up to your stomach. Or when it is very bad, up to your nose, so you have to raise your chin to keep breathing. 

Nobody notices the water. The cats play through it. Holmes asks for tea or reaches for you and your breath rattles as you struggle to take in air. He smiles and kisses your cheek. Fact: people who are drowning rarely wave, they rarely shout for help. They’re just trying to keep breathing. They’re trying to remember how to stay afloat. 

Today, it reaches your knees and there’s gurgling when you try to speak. It’s not too bad. You learn to live with it. You pull wires out of the way, and you place your valuables on higher shelves, and you even get used to the pull of the water against your feet as you try to walk. You wonder why you’re the only one who seems to see it, but you know if you mentioned it they might think you’re mad. Again. 

You walk out of the house and London wells up, like the Thames has burst its banks. You can’t remember what it feels like to be dry. You can’t remember what the sun feels like, not really. Just wetness, and the slap-slap of your feet against it, and how it follows wherever you go. You go for a run and draw in long, deep breaths. That rattling, loud and horrible. A fellow runner smiles and waves. Nobody hears. Nobody notices. 

You smile and wave back, because that is what people do when they aren’t drowning.


End file.
